Evolution Complete

'Very nice.' Osho smiled to himself.

He waited for the 'steam' to fully clear out before he moved forward and gently reached into the container which had a few cracks at its base, the intense reactions proving to be a bit much, even for it.

It was of little consequence, though, and he simply grabbed the egg out of the container and set it down on the work table.

He let out a sigh as he thoroughly inspected the ribbons, and as he thought, there were no more cracks on any of them.

Satisfied, he decided to focus on the next step as he wasn't quite done yet.

Without hesitation, he followed the now mended ribbons that led him towards the materials necessary for properly evolving the creature that was inside the egg.

With the strain of going beyond his current level gone, he had an easier time fetching these materials, of which there were also six

The first ribbons he followed went the furthest from his current position among the others, so he decided to fetch that first. He followed it to a line of shelves containing mineral samples and rare ores. Osho looked through it and nestled among the jars and boxes of ores was a lump of grey crystal that looked grey and unassuming. It was around the size of his fist, and at first glance, it didn't seem like all that. It sort of resembled a cracked river stone.

However, Osho wasn't fooled as he picked it up and felt its weight immediately. It was far heavier than its size, forcing him to enhance his arm with Mana just to hold it properly.

He turned it on his palm and mumbled to himself, unconsciously, his ability feeding him information.

"Golem's Heartstone. A condensed mineral core formed when an Earth-Affinity elemental beast collapses on itself, with its weight being the manifestation of what once was, granting it immense stability." He nodded and returned to drop it on the table before going to get the next thing.

This time, the second ribbon led him to a different section. A long refrigerator drawer filled with all sorts of soil samples, fungi, moss, etc, filled inside glass cases. His gaze shifted to one such case that had the label 'Verdant Mycelium'.

He paused and tilted his head. Not anything bad, just that the word Mycelium was something he first learned after playing a certain game about block and building. He chuckled to himself as he inspected the case.

Inside was a clump of emerald-green threads of fungi that spread out like a small root system. Osho watched as the threads got twitched in his direction, and he made a face.

'Essentially living earth. The Mycelium burrows into its target and uses it as a source of energy while also spreading more of itself around. It's also highly adaptable with roots that will grow no matter the ground.' He pulled out the container and added it to the tray.

The third ribbon led toward a rack filled with sealed vials. He grabbed the one the ribbon pointed to and held it up to the light. Inside was a thick, honey-like resin that gave off a faint brown glow. It looked pretty sluggish and sticky, as when Osho tilted the vial, it moved only slightly.

"Petrified sap," He mumbled while staring at the label. "Resin from trees located in areas rich in Earth Mana, soaking it in until their roots became stone. It typically takes over a century just to form a drop. Hence, it's more usually found in small hidden realms that either have time dilation or locations hidden from the outside." Osho smiled to himself as he noted that down.

'Seems like the little bugger inside is gonna be pretty durable.'

The fourth ribbon arched upwards towards a higher shelf that made Osho temporarily levitate himself with wind to reach where it pointed, and his target revealed itself to be a sealed pouch made of leather covered in runes. He grabbed it and gently opened it to see its contents.

At first glance, it low key just looked like dust. Pale, chalky, and would probably induce violent sneezes once inhaled. However. He shook it a bit, and the dust shimmered faintly, like the sand in the sun. Once more, his Mana sense revealed what his eyes didn't, as the dust was packed with Earth Mana. Osho nodded.

"Dust of Origin. Found only in caves that gave birth to Earth-Affinity beasts that reached beyond the Master Rank. It is typically used in forging equipment as it makes whatever material it's on considerably tougher without removing things like flexibility. It should work well with the sap." He nodded and floated down as he dropped the pouch on the tray with everything else.

The fifth ribbon wasn't that far, and it led to a jar with a thick lid. Inside was dark brown clay that was pretty moist, as it clung together even though it probably hadn't been watered in a decent bit.

When he opened it, an earthy smell wafted out, reminding him of rain against the soil. Deep and soothing.

"Clay of binding. Used as a binding agent in most alchemical creations due to its great properties as, well, a binder. It is typically found in places where Earth-Affinity beasts died and bled into the soil." He used a scalpel to carve out a fistful of the stuff and placed it on a smaller glass tray on the bigger tray.

The final ribbon led to a glowing shard that was locked in a crystalline case. Unlike the Heartstone, this piece certainly looked radiant. It was a pale brown crystal that shimmered faintly, with vein-like currents under the surface which pulsed, almost like a heartbeat.

When Osho opened the case and picked it up, a warmth flowed through his body, even with the gloves. The warmth settled in his chest, warm and soothing, but also steady, like a heartbeat.

"Terra's Breath Crystal. Born in zones that are almost all Earth-Affinity Mana, giving birth to Earth elementals. After a certain duration of death and rebirth, it gets condensed and is seen as an immense source of vitality for Earth-Affinity beasts.

He nodded and placed it on the tray, completing the set.

With all six materials gathered, Osho cracked his neck. The egg sat patiently by the side, dull and rock-like as ever. However, the ribbons almost seemed to urge Osho forward as the time had arrived.

He first ground the Heartstone with a reinforced pestle, really putting in some work as he eventually broke it down into fine powder, eventually relenting and turning it into shimmering gray dust.

Next, he used tweezers to pull the thin strands of the Verdant Mycelium apart. Then he put them in some heated water to steep until the water turned green, some of the steam filling the air.

The Petrified Sap needed to be melted. Hence, he held the vial above a Mana burner and watched the resin slowly soften into a viscous amber.

The Dust of Origin was fine as it was, so Osho didn't touch it yet.

The Clay of Binding, however, was subjected to a round of kneading. Osho used his bare hands for this, lightly infusing it with Mana until it softened, making it ready or shaking.

Lastly, he put the Terra's Breath Crystal into another mortar and also broke that apart, not into fine powder, but small shards that released faint pulses of energy.

He spread everything neatly into bowls and vials, and exhaled.

"Alright. Let's do this."

He placed the egg in a new container, then, one by one, he introduced the prepared materials.

First, he sprinkled the Heartstone dust over the shell. The small particles immediately clung to the surface like iron to a magnet, and soon, the egg was coated in a thin, stony layer.

Next came the green infusion from the Verdant Mycelium. He poured it carefully, and the liquid soaked into the powder, with small threads of green spreading across the shell like veins of moss on stone.

The molten Petrified sap came next. He dripped it slowly, think rivulets of amber which soon hardened as they fell into any gaps that were left behind, reinforcing the shell.

Following this, he gently dusted the Origin Dust across the areas that were still wet. The faint shimmer sank into the egg, and Osho coukd faintly see a subtle glow from within.

Next came the clay of binding which he spread with his hands and pressed it gently around the shell. The substance fused with everything else seamlessly, covering the surfave in a protective layer while ensuring none of the energy peaked out and bound it all together.

Finally, he placed the shards of Terra's Breath Crystal around the container. They each pulled rhythmically. And faint streams of Mana streamed from them into the egg.

Osho took a step back and shook his hands as they tingled from the residual Mana, watching.

The lab grew quiet, and Osho watched as the surface shifted slightly. The clay he'd pressed onto it hardened before merging into it, creating solid plates around the surface, and even though he couldn't see anything going on beneath the surface, there was a subtle hum that was rapidly reaching a crescendo.

Then, a faint tremor ran through the table as the air around the agg thickened, rich with Earth Mana.

Osho smiled and wiped the sweat off his brow and noted.

[Subject appears to have stabilized. Evolution materials have fused successfully. The outer shell has been reinforced with earthen plating. It is currently waiting to be hatched.]

With that, he set down the tablet and leaned back on the stools letting out a long, tired Breath.

"I'm eager to see what you turn out to be, little guy." He chuckled and rested his head on the table for a while.